


Alduin's Bane

by ShadeyLady



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Skyrim
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alpha/Omega, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, M/M, Master/Pet, Multi, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, World Longest Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2019-10-10 14:25:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17427626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadeyLady/pseuds/ShadeyLady
Summary: After the great battle in Sovngarde, the world began to take a turn for the better. Though with the Dovahkiin not taking Alduin’s soul was no coincidence. Alduin now has to face the consequences of his actions back on the ground, though like nothing he has ever done before. In this new adventure Alduin will have to deal with the world he knew so well in new eyes and a new heart. Will he be able to return to his former power or will he live like the mortals and die like them?





	1. Chapter 01

The snow on the streets froze all the cracks of the stones together. The buildings stood high over the freezing streets and stairs of Windhelm. Upon the North end of the town, a hero that was known across the wide stretches of Skyrim lives now with two adopted children and the occasional adventure. Though this tale does involve the Dragonborn it is not where we shall begin, our actual story is high in the clouds in a realm that the mortals do not occupy.

Up high in the clouds, farther than any creature could fly lies a capital that shines with gold. The floors of the city are made of heavenly stones and the land around the capital where large fluffy glistening clouds. The capital that we are looking at though is quiet, far quieter than it has been in centuries. All the residents and those who ran this capital where all at the throne surrounding large dark figures whose head in hung low and his armor chipped and scared.

Above the creature standing tall and mighty each at their adjacent throne, the Divine Nine looked down upon the injured Dovah. One especially stood over this creature, the one that he proclaimed as his father stood over him with eyes as cold as stone. His Golden hair streamed down his back and shoulders, a thick golden beard was woven into his hair in intricate patterns. Strands of his hair were woven into his large set of horns that sprouted from those locks. His skin was golden kissed by the son but showed signs of his age, in his skin golden scales sprouted in sections that contoured his face with a grace that no mortal creature could have.

  
Below this man was his firstborn son, Alduin. His body broken and scared. His armor chipped and his right-wing snapped leaving him leaning to his left at all costs to avoid the pain that was ripping through his body. His once long talons were chipped from his many falls from when the Dovahkiin shouted at him that accurized shout. He hung his head low, a few teeth of his bend from the metal armor and his tongue slightly hung out of the left of his mouth. He kept those amber eyes of his to the ground trying to avoid at all cost the cold glare from his father.

  
The other divines glanced at one another, none dared to intervene or even whisper to one another simply from the tension alone in the room. Talos amongst the group shuffled, he had his opinion of the creature below him whose body was crippled. Arkay himself would never say it aloud but could feel that this might be the end of Alduin and that his circle of evil would finally reach its end. Though Stendarr could see in his brother's eyes, that Akatosh who stood above his firstborn with something far more planned out.  
Akatosh stood taller and made his way forward showing under his grey-blue robes his strong dragon-like legs that were adorned with heavy golden scales. Trailing behind him was a long golden tail tipped with a structure of glittery golden bones. Each time a pad of his foot hit the ground of the marble floors his pristine talons clanked and echoed across the hall. The other divines stood quiet, for years they had never seen him hold so much fuming anger in one moment than now.

  
He stopped, towering over his son. Alduin’s head held crooked, but his eyes stared up at his father.

  
“You have quite a nerve to force your soul back up here when that last arrow pierced your hide.” Akatosh’s voice was rich and powerful, it echoed through the hall leaving the other divines to stand and shudder from the connection he was using.

  
“I-”

  
“Do not speak. I have much to say for what you have done, those around me have much to say from what you have done. Nothing you can say will be able to atone for what you have done.”

  
“I… I ruled the mortals as you told me to do…” Alduin’s voice was quiet, not from his personality but from how weak he was.

“What you did was a tyrannical dictatorship that leads to infighting amongst your brothers and the pain like no other to the mortals.” Alduin stayed silent. He believed that what he did was correct. The mortals did not want to be lead by anything but their own hands and destroy themselves. He in his mind knew that the only way to control the unruly was to rule with an iron fist, or in his case and iron claw. “After those who banished you to the future the mortals fought and lived in turmoil, to think that if you had done as you had been appointed to do that maybe the mortals would have never gone through the wars they had gone into. Your brother would not be flying from spot to spot with no ruler, and your brother isolated on top of the world alone in the cold wind.”

Alduin wished that his father would not delve so deep into what had happened, let alone to bring up about his brother Paarthurnax who betrayed him and betrayed his own kind by teaching the mortals their tongue. Let alone how loose he was with teaching the tongue to them, just the thought of the time he spoke to the Dovahkiin and she stood there with blank eyes and confused expression. He could not hold it much longer, he couldn't hold back his anger and had to let it go, so he did not so subtly roll his eyes.

Akatosh though did not miss that form of an insult. A golden wave of light slammed against his son, sending him closer to the ground. His body shook and he looked up at his father with anger and venom.

“I should have you towed off and skinned. Take your soul and send it down to the Dovahkiin.” His glare was fiery and the emotions in the room where now tense. The divines around him shuffled softly and or moved back a step or so closer to their throne. Alduin himself moved to his side and presented his side in hopes of achieving some sort of mercy that his father might consider.  
“Those who lived under your rule suffered and fell. They cried to each of their kin hoping and praying that you would leave and that they could be free from the darkness. Your brethren fought by you and fell into your darkness. All those in Tamriel would demand your head on a spike over a castle flown from dawn to dusk. Though that would not be a fitting punishment.” That last sentence made Alduin feel something he did not like, he felt something in his gut. He had only felt something like that when he fought against those who first used that blasted shout and those final few fights against the Dragonborn. He felt a form of fear, he was not sure what it would bring but he indeed felt fear.

Akatosh rose his hand to Stendarr, who stood semi-shocked from his sudden appointing. Stendarr walked down to where Akatosh stood, both standing over Alduin who to an untrained eye would have missed his small shudder.

“Death is far too easy of punishment and would be an insult for those who fought tooth and nail to go against you.” He back up and allowed Stendarr to come closer to Alduin. “I know old friend, that you will give justice to those who suffered under him, for his brothers that he had shown the wrong way too.” Alduin scoffed under his breath. He was surprised that his father was taking such a merciful approach to his punishment. Though in the back of his mind he knew that Stendarr would have to make a punishment worthy of his deeds. Though Stendarr was the God of Mercy and Justice, so death would not happen and eternal torture would definitely not happen.

He sat and wait, he breathed hard, and his eyes watched Stendarr’s face change. He stood tall and thought through what would be a worthy punishment that he saw fit that would appease Akatosh, and not be against his beliefs. He sat and went through idea after idea, till finally, it clicked with him. An idea that would be merciful, but would also teach Alduin something that none of the divines could do alone. He needed stipulations as well, and those came quick.  
“Brother…” Akatosh turned his head to look at Stendarr, his eyes told him to keep going. “I have an idea, though I must know if it is worthy for what you have in mind.” He slid closer to Akatosh and whispered his idea to him. Akatosh nodded with closed eyes and he looked back at Alduin.

“Go ahead and tell him.” Akatosh stood over Alduin once more and kept his eyes locked onto Alduin to see his reaction.

“Alduin.” Alduin turned to look at Stendarr. “We will return you to Tamriel, you will return to Skyrim herself.” The divines where shocked, Alduin was even more shocked. He was going to go back, this was better than he could have hoped for. He would lay low and gain his strength, take out the Dovahkiin and his brother and then go from there. But he needed to keep his mouth shut, it was obvious that Stendarr was waiting for the divines to quiet down. Talos was up in an uproar over the verdict, even Mara herself seemed somewhat confused over the verdict. Both Akatosh and Stendarr stood quiet waiting for the room to quiet down, for the other to see that this was not the only thing that would be said to Alduin.

After the jabber started to calm down, Stendarr spoke once again to finish the verdict.

“You will return to Skyrim, though you will have a set of tasks you must complete. Memorize these task well Alduin, for once you complete these task only then we will speak to you and return you to your status. Your task is to seek forgiveness from your closest brother Paarthurnax. You must seek forgiveness of the Jarls of Skyrim and her people whom you have wronged. You must seek forgiveness from those who seek your death, go to the Blades and seek their forgiveness.” Alduin was shocked by these demands and quickly tried to interject, only to be met with another blast from his father.

“Listen to your punishment, we are almost done here.” Alduin gritted his teeth. He moved his head back to Stendarr to hear the final bit.

“Thank you.” Akatosh nodded and waved his hand to allow Stendarr to continue. “Finally you must seek forgiveness from the one who ended your reign, ask forgiveness from the Dovahkiin herself.” Alduin had had enough, he pushed himself up and attempted to either attack or flee from the Divines. He was a king amongst the Dov. This was absurd, blasphemies even. Yes, he had enslaved man, but it had to be done. He turned, but he did not get far. Akatosh stopped him, he held him in time and he watched with dark eyes.

“Alduin, this is your punishment. Though a surprise awaits you in the land of the mortals. This will be the last gift we give you, it will aid you while you toil on Tamriel and complete your list.” The other Divines stood in silence wondering greatly what gift would be given to Alduin. Talos was fuming Alduin did not deserve a gift for what he had done. Mara had a form of relief that he would gain some sort of gift to this journey that would surely send him through.

Akatosh himself was quiet, he turned and made his way up to his throne, Stendarr was close behind. Though before Akatosh could complete what was needed to be done, Talos stood and spoke up.

“Why gift him anything?! That creature below us has done nothing but caused pain and misery, to allow him any form of leisure on the plains to finish your tasks would be an insult to those who suffered under him!”

“Enough!” Akatosh looked over to Talos in a rage. “You will see his gift soon and understand why it will be given to him.” Talos was inflamed with rage, a vein popped in his forehead but he could tell that Akatosh himself was in no mood to argue. Talos will argue with Akatosh once he saw what exactly was going to be his gift to aid in this form of punishment. “Now, it is time for you to return home Alduin.” Akatosh stared at his son, and at that moment there was a small break in his harsh expression, though Alduin missed it. He missed the small twitch in his eye, a small tear that barely formed from the displeasure of what his son has done, and what he was about to make his son live through. This punishment was more than worthy of what he had done and would teach him a lesson that he could never learn as the Dov.

The Divines opened their hands and began to send Alduin down. Kynareth’s wind held onto Alduin’s broken scales and lifted him down to the earth. Mara made sure that his landing was a gentle one, for it would be the last act of kindness they could grant him. From here on out it would be on Alduin to complete his near impossible task, and all the Divines could only watch.


	2. Chapter 02

Here he lay. Alduin was laying on the dirt, with tall grass around him. Around him where tall golden outcrops of grass. The trees around him softly rustled around him. The evergreen’s had shed their dead needles, some now where even laying on his body. The seasonal plants had started to die off, and the large trees above him that were now gold where dropping onto Alduin as well. 

The wind was brushing against Alduin, though something was wrong. He was deftly cold, now Alduin had flown in the sky in snow storms and white outs which were cold, but never like this. He was absolutely freezing. He actually began to shiver and could hear his own teeth clatter, as they shook something was wrong. He bit his own tongue from them clattering and that made him notice something way off. He had thick teeth, they were not the slim sharp teeth he knew, his mouth felt tight and dry. His tongue was thick and flat, and it pressed against his now close teeth. It all felt wrong. He had to open his eyes and see what was wrong. 

He saw where he was, he was alone. The sky was cloudy and grey, and the trees? The trees where suddenly a lot taller. He moved to stand up, to ready his wings and try and take off only to be met with landing face first in the dirt. Man did it hurt but that did not stop him, he tried to take off once more only to fall again. Though this time he jumped from a small rock ledge that stood over the group landing him on a downhill slope. He fell and began to roll down the hill. Grass, twigs and pine needles ran against his hide, a hide that suddenly a lot thinner and a lot easier to break. He rolled down the hill till he finally slammed against a beach of small rocks that where cold and wet to the touch. He gasped as the air was finally returned from his lungs. He was laying on his back and he could see into the sky, the grey clouds slowly moved across the sky. Laying on his back hurt against the rocks, and it felt slimy from the moss that grow in moist areas, but that was the least of his worries. Why did he feel everything below him, last time on the ground before this he could feel the cold yes, but this was completely different. 

His hide burned from the fall and the slide down to where he was now. He needed to roll over and try to get up and going, but that dream was quickly dashed. When he rolled over the pine needles pierced the palm of his hand.

His hand?

His… Hand…?

Alduin didn’t even pay mind to the pine needle that stuck from his palm, only the fact that there was no longer a wing attached to him, but a strong dirty human hand. He had to put it down and look over at his other hand, it indeed, was another hand. He had to investigate what had become of him. He got onto fours that best he could only to find that his legs were far too long and that he would have to go on his knees. He crawled over on the rocks and twigs to the water.

There in the water, staring right back at him was a man. The man he was looking at was scuffed up and had dirt smeared across his face. He was darker skinned, a tan with true black hair and a thick, but not a long black beard. His nose was raw and red from the cold around him, even his cheeks had turned a pinky red. His face was a strong face, his features were cut just right, though his nose was semi-crooked and one side of his jaw was a tad bit wider than the other. He almost did not believe that that man in the water was him but his eyes told him otherwise. Those amber eyes of his that he knew so well were staring back at him, they blinked when he blinked and they winked when he winked. He had to sit back from the water and try to take in what was happening. 

The moment his bum had touched the cold rocks a shock went up his spine. This was not the place he needed to be, not only was it absolutely freezing he was wide in the open. He looked around, only to have this new hair of his to be blown into his face. The long hair he noticed may have kept his neck warm but it was not happening anywhere else. As he looked he could see in the distance was some sort of smoke or steam, and across the cold lake appeared to be a cave of sort. He had to think this through, he had to really think this through. He took in what he was now, he did not have any extreme wounds just some scratches and knick marks. Though he was, something he had never seen from the men, he was completely naked. In all his life he knew that the mortal men always wore something, underwear, anything and now he knew fully well why. He was freezing, even having something to cover him even a shred of clothing like he had seen on the men would have been a blessing versus being completely in the nude like he was now. 

He shivered and ran his new hands along his body to try and warm up, anything was better than nothing. He felt how soft his skin was, excluding the hair that was on his body. This was absurd he needed to think of something fast. From what he could tell from the time that he had been out here he started to notice that the sun was setting. It was only going to get colder, and he no longer weighed hundreds of pounds and coated in natural armor to protect against the animals of Skyrim. He had to think quickly, he had to think smart about this. If he died out here there was no way he would be able to blink up into the sky, or hide off and feast in Sovngarde. The town had to be at least a couple of meters away, the problem was he was naked, and the more he thought about it the common language was not his primary language. The cave across the water? No, he barely could move and let alone how cold the water would be he would most likely freeze to death. He would have to risk the embarrassment and have to head towards the town. He very slowly got onto fours and crawled for a bit.

Crawling was no easy task he noticed. The ground dug into his knees and the sharp undergrowth was stabbing into his palms. He remembered how the men walked, on their hind legs and nothing else, he thought to himself that that might actually be a better option than ripping his hands apart. He stopped and slowly tried to lean back and stand up, only to be met with himself landing on his bum once more and receiving a cold shock right along with his tail bone. He swore under his breathe in his native tongue. This was a lot harder than it looks, the men made it look like nothing. He had seen children stand up and start to run.

He had to think this through, he rolled back over to crawl, maybe a tree could help. If he had something to support himself he might be able to stand, and maybe if was smart about it go from tree to tree and not fall over. He found a sturdy tall tree and he began to stand. His legs were weak, his feet felt soft and easy to break against the ground. He had to grit his teeth for his legs were far too weak to handle his full body weight, but for sure it was more comfortable than crawling on the ground. He clung to that tree for his life and quickly looked around to find the next tree he needed to head towards. He spotted the next tree in the direction he needed to go, so with a very reluctant step away from the tree he slowly began his first attempt to walk. One foot after another, he had to swing his feet slightly to make sure they did not collide with one another till finally he made it to the tree. He sighed a sigh of relief and looked for the next tree he wanted to go to. He grit his teeth and tried to make it to the next tree, and the next tree and the next. Till he finally came to what seemed to be the edge of the town, which now from what he could tell was actually a small village. He had to be careful now, he didn’t want to be seen. He looked at the small village and tried to find a decent place to hide. From the angle he was at he could see only really two options that are available to him. Either option A, the abandoned looking house across a small creek, or a large Barrow it seemed that was on top of a hill. He really did not want to go for the Barrow but the more he looked if he wanted to go for the small house he was have to go through the small village and across the river that had a good stream flowing, The Barrow was his only option now. At least there were numerous trees and rocks for him to either hide behind or even more so steady himself from taking another fall. 

He pushed off from his tree and started to make his was from tree to tree. Till finally his foot caught onto the back of his heel. He quickly started to trip and take a fall. He face smashed against the tree he was heading towards. He slid down and had to cover his mouth from screaming out loud. He felt some liquid land in his hand and get stuck in his beard. He licked around the hair that was covering his upper lip and tasted blood. He grunted and tried to lift himself back up and tried to get moving again. Though once he stood he heard some footsteps not so far from him. He looked over at the closest building and saw movement in the farm area. The owner of the farm or someone on the farm had come out to do a final check on everything before they would call it a night. Or so Alduin thought. As he looked at the person who came out they were walking towards the tree he was hiding behind. He had to shuffle closer to the tree and around the edge that the person coming would not see him. This was beyond an inconvenience for him, not only was his nose still bleeding but the night was coming quickly.

He heard a door open in the distance and a voice came from the farm. 

“Fastred, what are you doing. It is almost night come back in before you catch a death of a cold.”

“I thought I heard a voice outside, they sounded in pain.” The person who spoke sounded young and definitely was a woman. The other voice seemed to be that of an older man. 

“If you heard a man than that is even more of a reason to come back inside.” The door opened again and Alduin could hear an older woman's voice join the commotion. 

“Jofthor, Fastred, both of you come in” There was only a little bit more talking going on till finally Alduin heard the door close behind the people seemed to have come from. He had to wait a moment, he had to make sure whoever it was, it was no longer near him. He waited and waited till he finally started to feel comfortable with the move. The blood that was coming from his nose had now stopped but his face was scrapped and the blood that made it out was started to crust up in his beard. This time going to the next tree he took his time and made sure he did not get tangled on his feet this time around. 

He made it to the tree and slowly made his way up the small hill to get to the Barrow. He noticed he was around the back side of the Barrow and was in need to get to the entrance. The sun was near set and the night winds were starting to blow in. Alduin shivered and felt like parts of him wanted to go back inside to feel warm or just fall off. He slid around the Barrow till over a few rocks he could see the entrance to the Barrow. With the light dim he could slide his way into the Barrow with hopefully no one noticing him. He slid over the rocks, scratching parts of his body but made it in with little to no damage.

Once he made it inside he had to stay against the wall and slowly wobble his way out of the elements. He was lucky, to say the least, this Barrow was the one that had an inside room that was protected from the elements but was not fully in the Barrow itself. 

He slid down the wall with a heavy sigh of relief. It was still cold in there but it was nowhere near as bad as being in the open elements. He glanced around and saw some sort of fur rug, maybe used as a bed tucked away in the room with a candle that had seen many days of use. There was a small wooden table with wooden plates, though they were all empty. Alduin had to admit that he was starting to feel peckish but that was not his immediate problem. The cold right now was starting to make his bare hands and feet turn pink and were starting to go numb. He started to crawl to the bed roll, unfolded the dusty fur clothe and slid underneath to where he could start warming up. He rubbed his arms and legs under the fur and started to feel some sort of circulation happening in his body once more. 

The Barrow was now dark. The sun had finally set and the many moons that shined over Skyrim where now out. He could hear rustling from the wind and sounds of animals outside, but none thankfully came in. The room itself was dark only with a shred of moonlight leaked into the window that was over him. The ground was uncomfortable, to say the least, but he was so tired and cold that it really did not matter. The warm fur bed was starting to heat up from his body heat and he started to no longer shiver each time he moved under the blanket. He continued slowly started to get tired from all that he had been through today. 

The moment the son touched his face Alduin closed his eyes tighter. He was not in the mood by any means to start waking up. He could hear the birds chirping and some sounds of life on the farms around him. His body was sore and was still aching from yesterday. He did not do a good job when he got into the bed last night and had some pine needles still stuck to him and tangled in his hair. Alduin rubbed his eyes to try and get the crustiness out of them, leading to him pulling his cheeks down in annoyance. What was he going to do, this was absolutely absurd. 

His body ached, he was starting to get hungry, his throat was parched and worse of all he still was in the nude. He really had to think this through, he knew where a stream was but from what he remembered how the men worked, walking completely butt naked would lead to him being chased out of town in a heartbeat. There was no way he was going to get any food by hand with how little he could even walk. He would have to find a way to get food from one of the villagers. Now clothes, what could he use? 

Alduin pondered to himself for a little too long till he really thought about it, the bed roll. He could wrap himself in the bed roll and wobble into the village. 

So he stood up slowly and tried to lean forward to grab the bed roll. He leaned his back against the wall and looked at the bed roll in his arms, how was he going to make this work, what part of the mortal body should be covered? He knew no matter what gender the men where they always covered their lower section, but he could have sworn that the women cover their upper areas but he was sure the men did not do that. He began to unroll the bed roll and wrap it around his waist, he had to admit it was soft and warm but it barely stayed up, let alone it dragged on the floor. If he dared try to walk in it, he would surely fall and already damage his scabbed up face even more so. So he grabbed one end and tried throwing it over his shoulder and wrapping it around him from there. It worked, though how would he tie it off so it would actually stay on and not fall off him the moment he started walking?

He looked around the Barrow, he had to find something, anything to keep this new form of clothing. He slid along the walls of the Barrow in the search for anything that he could use, he kicked over a buck or two with no luck. He continued to slide around the room and kicking over thing in hopes of finding anything, till finally a glint in the sunlight that was leaking into the Barrow caught his attention. It was across the room and looked like it was covered in dust. He slowly pushed off the wall. He hobbled over with a small limp to the object. The thing was located under the table. Alduin held onto the wooden chair for support and slowly crouched down to pick it up. He brushed away the dust and immediately regretted it. Dust felt so much grosser to Alduin now that it was touching bear skin versus touching thick armor that protected his nerves. He quickly whipped his hand off on his thigh only transferring this problem to his thigh. He scrunched his face with how gross it felt but saw what was underneath the the dust. A large oval shawl pin was under the dust. He pulled it out and shook the dust off and blew it, only to have more dust blow back into his face. 

Alduin coughed from all the dust. Once the air had cleared he slowly stood up with the shawl pin in hand and made his way to sit down in the wooden chair. Now he just needed to figure out how to make this work. He could have sworn he had seen how the people used it, especially the women on Skyrim, but as to how he actually used it was beyond him. He held the oval piece and pulled the pin from it. The fur bed roll wrapped around him began to slip from his shoulder, making him abundantly aware that it was still rather cool in the Barrow. He pulled the strap back over his shoulder and tried to fiddle with the pin till it finally hit him. He needed to get the pin through the fur and back out to lock it into the oval ring. He looked around for something sharp to use to cut a hole into the fur to help it lock into place. He saw yet again, nothing. He didn’t know what made him think about it, but he lifted the bed roll to his mouth and he started to try and bite his way through it. It took awhile, a did not taste good but Alduin was finally able to pierce through the hide. He sighed with relief, finally he hoped he would never have to put that bed roll back into his mouth again. He slid the pin into place in the oval and slowly stood up, he swayed left and right and actually tried a small jump. The bed roll stayed in place.

Alduin had many quests in front of him but the quest of being clothed and not running around buck naked was completed. 

He headed out of the Barrow and looked out the edge to try and take a look at the village. He could see many people walking around during their daily lives. He could see guards leisurely walking around the village to make sure everything was okay. Just by looking at the people, even those who were not in the best of clothes seemed far more put together than he was. He needed to think this through to the best of his ability. His hair from what he could feel was a rats mess and he still had some blood on his beard, hell even pine needles were still stuck to the bed roll that was now his only form of comfort and clothing. 

He had to think of a plan, and it didn’t take him long. He remembered flying high above Skyrim and seeing people at some points in time being mugged. That's what he would say, he was robbed! Robbed on the road and all he had left to his name was his bedroll and nothing else. No gold, no gems, no armor, no clothing, no nothing. 

He had a sly grin, but he needed to make that grin turn inside out and turn into a frown. A guard would be the best option to go to first, it is their job to help those who have been dealt with bad luck and Alduin at this given moment was the most unlucky Dov in the world. 

He slowly but surely limped around the buildings and into town. He held onto the fences in the town and looked for the closest guard. He B-lined right over to the man, who quickly saw his distress. 

“What is the matter? What happened to you?” Alduin opened his mouth and quickly realized his mistake. He spoke far louder than he expected and just blurted out what he wanted to say, but not quite correct.

“Zu’u lost nos! Tum wah fin Miiraad!” He stopped dead in his tracks. His face went pitch white from what he had just done. The guards whose face was partially covered also looked shocked and flabbergasted. He could tell right away that the guard understood absolutely nothing that he just said, even to the point he probably couldn’t even pinpoint the fact that he just spoke in the Dovah tongue. “Uhh.. I was nos… Attacked, on the Miiraad… the path…” he looked at the guard in hopes that he would be believed.

The guard raised an eyebrow and seemed somewhat uncomfortable after being semi yelled at by an insane looking man who screamed at him in a foreign language. “What path are you talking about?”

Alduin had to stand there. He had to translate what he needed to say. “Wah fin… nid… no… To the south!” He pointed to the South and turned back to the guard. “Nust… They took pah do dii… They took all of my… Valuables!”

“They seemed to have taken some of your wit as well.” The guard had folded his arms and was looking Alduin up and down. “What is your name?” Alduin stopped in his tracks. A name? He can’t use his real name, his name was on everyone's tongue and would either get him killed or thrown out for being insane.

“Aldin… My name… yes, it is Adin!” He stood there looking at the guard while he pondered the name. Finally, though the guard nodded his head in belief for his name. 

“You said they took your stuff correct?” Alduin nodded. “Alright. Come with me lets get you to the Inn. Get some food and drink in you so you can tell me what happened.” Alduin nodded and thanked the man the best he could. “Also maybe you will be able to speak normally then as well.” Alduin gave a glare to the guards head the moment he turned around to help him to the Inn. 

The two walked, the guard had attempted to assist Alduin but he truly did not so far enjoy being touched. As they walked Alduin was able to see a sign to the Inn, Vilemyr Inn. It looked warm enough, warmer than the Barrow he slept in but knowing how things where in Skyrim he most likely would not get a room without gold. The guard opened the door but when he turned around he noticed that the man he knew as Aldin was at the base of the stairs.

This was something new, something Alduin has never done before, something he has never walked on before. Alduin looked at the layered wooden planks that stood higher than the last. He had never walked up or down stairs. He saw there was no hand railing or something to hold onto to get up them. His legs alone where already tired as it was from walking but this? This was something completely different. He looked up at the guard who looked down at him with confusion. He had to move, the guard was watching him. He grabbed onto the pole that was close to the bottom steps and lifted one foot after another. The first one hit down without and issue and the second came onto the same step. Though this time he could not hold onto the pole to get up the next set. He did what he did before, though with a wider gate. He made it all the way up the three sets of stairs with no real ease but enough to make it seem that it was just his injuries hindering him, and not the fact that he never walked on two legs till last night. 

The guard held the door open and as Alduin walked into the Inn he felt a blast of heat. In the center of the dim lit building was a huge coal pit that was keeping the building warm. The guard ushered Alduin to a table, the table was well lit and had food on it that Alduin was more than tempted to bite into. Though the moment he sat down the guard made his way over to a man behind a large counter. The two spoke in a rather hushed tone, either that or the women in the corner who was playing an instrument of sort blocked out what he could hear. The vary woman he was looking at was also looking at him with a confused look. He must have really stuck out like a sore thumb with what he was wearing let alone how he looked. He stared at her, maybe making her uncomfortable, no scratch that, he definitely made the poor girl uncomfortable. She quickly moved over to the counter where the guard and the man where talking. Once she stopped playing music the two looked over and watched her come over. She spoke in a hushed whisper and the three nodded. The guard talked to the man for a little while longer, and at some point the man behind the counter pulled out some pen and ink and began to write something down. The guard walked back but the man kept writing. 

“Eat up, we can talk while you eat. Wilhelm says it is fine and I paid him.” Alduin nodded and quickly moved to grab some of the food. Though he kept his eye on this Wilhelm man who was finishing up writing whatever he was writing. The man spoke in hushed whispers to the girl that was now standing next to the counter. He slipped her the letter and she calmly and quietly made her way out of the Inn. What ever had happened either could have been coincidence or was something that Alduin would quickly regret.


	3. Chapter 03

Lynly made her way over to the counter where Wilhelm and the guard stood. This new man that she had never seen in Ivarstead was staring at her. Not how most men look, not with lust or anything of the sort, but that of something darker. She did not like the feeling that this man had, and not to be judgemental but how he was dressed was not helping with the first impressions. The moment she stopped playing the two men glanced over to her. 

Wilhelm reassured the guard that he could continue with her near them. The guard nodded.

“I do not know about this man, something seems to be completely wrong with him. The moment he walked to me he blurted out in a speech I did not recognize.” Lynly nodded.

“Something seems to be wrong with him. The way he looked at me is not normal and the aura he gives off is something I do not trust.” Wilhelm nodded as well. 

“What do you think we should do?” The guard glanced over at him. He had to think, he did not know if this man named Aldin was telling to the truth or was just a mad man trying to get free things. He slid Wilhelm gold, just enough for some food and night for this Aldin character.

“I am going to interrogate him, I want you to write a note to the Jarl to inform him of this man, His name from what he has told me is Aldin. This gold should be enough for some food, drink and a night here. Tomorrow, from what I gather tonight will tell if we need to throw him out the door or take him seriously.” 

“Lynly, I need to stay here in case something goes wrong, I want you to take this note to the courier and inform the people and guards to keep an eye out.” Lynly nodded and stood by the bar as the guard made his way back over to Aldin. Lynly looked over her shoulder and then looked over to Wilhelm. She watched him write the letter.

“Do you think he is telling the truth?” Wilhelm glanced up at her and continued to write.

“I do not know, but the guard seems suspicious of him. I’m going to send the note he wanted but I also want you to take this letter as well and tell the courier to send it to Windhelm. I would like to believe that the worst to come from this will just be that the man is a nut, but if it takes a turn far worse than that I would prefer to have the Dragonborn here to put an end to it quickly.” Lynly nodded and understood where he was coming from. The Dragonborn had helped Ivarstead in the past, she had even helped her keeping her identity quiet from her former lover who wanted her head for turning him into the guards. 

Lynly stood there quietly, waiting for Wilhelm to finish writing the first letter and finally the second letter. She watched as the guard started to ask the man at the table basic questions. She listened closely and noticed how the man seemed to answer his questions with a full mouth and was stumbling on his own words. More often than not he was able to spit out some full words but they were not in any language that she knew. Each time he spoke he had to almost translate everything he said. Her woman's intuition told her there was a lot more going on with that man than what was being shown. 

Wilhelm coughed softly, in his hand were two rolled up notes, each held closed with some twine. Lynly nodded and made her way out of the Inn. 

She went down the steps and made her way to the first guard she found. She told him to spread the news to the limited amount of people that lived in Ivarstead. She quickly made her way to the entryway of the town and gave the outer guard to two letters. The moment he was to see the courier come by the town to give him the two letters, the one with one strip of twine to the Jarl and the one with two strips of twine to the Dragonborn in Windhelm. The guard nodded and went on his way to continue his route keeping a special eye out for the courier. 

Lynly went on her way and made her way back to the Inn. When she came back in the guard seemed to have leaned his head into his hand trying to talk to the mysterious man. He seemed to be getting nowhere with the dark-haired man. He himself seemed to have turned to the drink to get through this small interrogation. Lynly chooses that now would indeed be the best time to set back up and play a few tunes, from a distance though of course.


	4. Chapter 04

Alduin was happily indulging himself. The food that was offered to him was amazing. He was so used to just eating charred food that he roasted himself or just ate raw. This was so much better and so much different. The baked goods and the stews were amazing, they were warm in his stomach. The guard that sat next to him was now eating as well and was drinking what the humans called mead. Alduin had never tasted the drink he was trying and watched it with a wide eye, the golden liquid looked good, much like the honey that was on some of the food. 

“Ofan zu’u piraak osos…” He looked at the guard who gave him a tired look. Then it hit him. He yet again did not speak in the tongue these men would understand. So he sat there and stared at the guard, translating what is needed for what he wanted. “May… May I have some?” The guard looked so tired, so tired that he was supporting his head with his hand. He glanced at his drink and then at Alduin.

“Fine… Maybe if you drink a little we can get somewhere.” He slid his mug over to Alduin who quickly took the mug and threw it back. The guard's tired expression quickly became a wide-eyed one. This dark haired man who was wrapped in a bedroll and barely spoke his language just threw back a whole glass of mead. Now, this told the guard that he either had the tolerance of a giant or was a man who had never had any form of liquor and would soon be regretting his choices. 

Alduin loved the taste, it was sweet and tangy. He just had to throw back the whole tankard. Though it did not take long for him to feel something wrong. It wasn’t something too wrong but he felt that his head was far more light than before. He put down the tankard and whipped away what got stuck in his beard. He looked over at the guard who was giving him a look.

“So… let's get this straight again. You were traveling just to explore” Alduin nodded. “And you got jumped from behind the trees and they took everything?” He nodded once again. Alduin tried to keep this story simple, he need not make it complicated for himself let alone for the poor guard who seemed so tired with him as it was. 

A moment passed and the guard nodded. “Sounds sound enough. Stay the night, I bought you a room for the night. Tomorrow you will be on your own.” Alduin nodded and watched the guard stand up from the table. He did not need to babysit Aldin, he was a grown man and if he disappeared tomorrow then their problem would be taken care of. The other guards were notified and a letter was sent to the Jarl, everything was perfectly taken care of. 

Alduin watched as the guard leave the Inn. He was now alone with the man behind the counter and the lady with the instrument. This wasn’t too bad, it wasn’t what he would like but it wasn’t that bad. He wouldn’t be sticking around here for too long hopefully, he needed to get moving and start getting to complete this stupidly long quest his father gave him. He ate away till he heard the Inn door open up, and in walked a young woman. She was, from what he could remember, was a Nordic woman. Her hair was a semi-brown and a hint of red. Dark powder lined her eyes and her lips where a subtle white of sorts. She dressed in a brown gown with a white underdress, and on her hip was a dagger. Alduin watched from his lonesome corner as this girl seemed to come in with a sigh. She made her way over to the girl with the instrument who seemed to lighten up over this woman's arrival. The new woman sat down at a distant table and the lady with the instrument sat with her. Alduin tried to slink into the shadows and just enjoy the food he had and listen in. 

The two girls talked, starting in a whisper but slowly turning into an average voice for those in an Inn from what he could guess. 

“Lynly, I just do not know… My family wants me to live here on the farm till my dying day, but I want to see the world and find love, but what am I to do? I love my mother and father but I want my own life.” 

“Fastred, why don’t you just slip away?”

“I could never do that. I just do not know what to do. I have been speaking with Bassianus, and he says we can go to Riften.” Alduin glanced over from his shadows and looked at who was speaking and attached names to the women. This small gossip was nothing that he needed in his life but at the moment there was not much else happening. The girls continued to talk till the one by the name of Fastred looked over to his direction. Alduin kept his gaze on, thus making the young woman blush. He was confused. Something he had done had turned this woman's face into a fruity red. He kept staring till the other woman by the name of Lynly looked behind her at him, this time he had to look away. The two girls talked in a more hushed whisper.

“Do not even think about it Fastred. He blew into town today and has been saying things no one can understand. He says that he had everything stolen from him but I got a bad feeling about him.” Fastred kept her head low and glanced back at him. 

“He does seem exotic though.” At this Lynly had to glance behind her once more, only seeing the man with the long black hair eating more slowly than before. Lynly felt for her friend Fastred, she was everything she wasn’t. Fastred wanted a life away from her home and with the one she loved. Lynly had left home for the one she loved and only had him kill her brother thus making her travel far and wide to find a single place to hide. She had to protect her friend. She would like to have her friend stay here with her and whomever she fell in love with, but if Kynareth’s winds willed for Fastred to leave then so be it. But even then, she had to admit, this stranger was indeed exotic.

“What do you think he is?”

“For god's sake, Fastred, you cannot just ask people what race they are.” She had to suppress a small giggle over her statement. The two of them glanced back and started to take in who this man was, and what exactly he was. He had a darker complexion and dark hair, but he wasn’t dark enough to be a Redguard, and his complexion wasn’t grey enough to be a Dunmer. His face looked that of a Nord and so did his build, but when he tucked that long hair of his away from his face the two girls could tell that his ears were somewhat pointed. He made no sense to them.

“I have no idea what in the world he is,” Lynly spoke in a hushed whisper.

“That just makes him even more exotic, where ever he is from everyone there must be so beautiful.” She giggled under her breathe which earned a small glare from Lynly. Fastred already liked two men, a third was not going to help her let alone her parents. This man behind them was something weird, either he got knocked on the head hard when he was mugged or he was indeed just an insane person, either way, something about him made her gut sink. 

All those in the Inn looked over as the door opened again and two men walked in. Lynly and Fastred knew these men, Fastred especially knew these two men. The larger ginger-haired man was Bassianus, and the man with no hair but a beard that was tied in a ponytail was Klimmek. The two men were talking about how their fishing went and how the weather was turning. 

Alduin glanced over at the two men who did not seem to notice him in the shadows of the Inn. He watched the two men go to the counter and talk to the man there. They slid there gold and took their drinks and went to go for their table. Though the two men did not make, the two girls over at the other table invited them over. Both the men seemed to know the girls and made their way over. Alduin watched from his little dark corner and started finishing up the food her was given. 

The group of four were now at their table and Lynly looked over at the man Aldin, then back at the group. 

“What are you looking at?” Lynly looked at the men.

“Did you hear the news?” The two men had to think, no guard had approached them on their way back from fishing. 

“None that we can remember,” Klimmek spoke up first for the two of them. They both watched Fastred and Lynly look over their shoulders to a dark haired man that was sitting in the corner. Both the men looked back over at him. Bassianus looked at the man up and down and then back at Fastred. He knew her well enough to notice the small blush that was fading from her cheeks. He looked back over at the man.

“He showed up today and said he was mugged. I do not know if it is true but something is off about it. He keeps talking in a different language and I have never heard of. The guards and Wilhelm told us that we need to keep an eye on him. The guard left only a moment ago, I think he wrote him off as fine but I still have a bad feeling about him.” The group nodded. The group quickly closed their mouth the moment they heard some rustling. Fastred who was the closest to the noise looked over and saw the man stand up. She only watched for a moment, as he stumbled out of the table he had to catch himself on a wooden bar that supported the roof. The others had turned to look at the man who had stumbled out of the table, and he was staring right back at them. The man slowly stood up and wobbled. The men noted something, something that the girls most likely did not seem to notice. The way she walked. The man was not walking as if he had been injured, but almost like a child as if he had never walked before in his life and this was one of the few times that he had done so. The group tried not to stare, but it was kind of hard, the man was limping and trying to keep his balance till he got to the main counter that Wilhelm stood behind. They all watched, though they turn their head the moment the man looked over at them with eyes that burned. Though this mans glare did not stop the group from listening in.

“Faal dein… The guard… I believe he got me a kos… A bed yes…” Wilhelm gave the man a look up and down and nodded.

“Uh yes, right this way. Your room is yours for the night. Tomorrow if you want to sleep here though you will need to pay for it.” Alduin nodded to the man and hobbled his way into the room.

The group looked at one another. “See that is what I mean, he keeps speaking like that.” The men nodded in agreeance.

“I feel as though I have heard those words, but I can not pinpoint it at all.” That's when Klimmek chimed in.

“I know what he is speaking.” The group quickly looked over him with wide eyes urging him to continue. “I’ve heard the greybeards on the top of the mountain speak words close to that.” The group looked at each other.

“You have to be kidding me. There are only two people that really get to talk to the greybeards and that was either the Dragonborn or Ulfric. And I have seen both of them, and neither of them looks like that man.” Lynly spoke up in a somewhat scrutinous tone.

“Well, that's the only language I can think of. I mean we all have heard the Dragonborn shout up a ruckus, doesn’t it sound somewhat familiar.” The group then began to be quiet, until Fastred nodded.

“It does sound a lot like it. It might be that but why in the world would he be speaking in that?” Another question the group did not have the answer to.


	5. Chapter 05

Alduin had slept much better that night compared to sleeping in the Barrows. The bed was a lot warmer and was a lot more comfortable than the bedroll. Thought he peaceful sleep was short lived. He needed to get and get moving or find a way to make some sort of money so he can keep the room for the night and the many more he would need. He had taken the bedroll off and slept naked in then the night. Unlike the Barrow, the Inn was too warm in the night for his liking, but it was better than frostbite. 

He stood up and started to find a way to get a dress and actually decided to explore his room. He noticed the entryway had no door, but thankfully he wasn’t in the doorway naked. Now was not only a good time to check his room but to also check what he was like at the exact given moment. He sat down in the chair in his room and took a look at himself from what he could see. His skin was somewhat dark. He could see his legs and the black hair that sprouted from them. He traveled up along his legs and onto his hands. His hands had long fingers that had well-defined knuckles and thick veins that rested under the skin of his hands and traveled up his arms. He patted his stomach area and felt around his abdomen and was met with what he could only guess where muscles. He ran his hand on them and was met with more hair that was perfectly placed along with his body running down to his… uh… area? Alduin sat there confused at this… thing? In comparison to his body, it looked rather large but, that's all he could take it as. He had never seen any of the mortals completely naked so whatever this was, he had no idea of its use or what it was. No matter it really wasn’t a problem at the moment. He kept off investigating what he could about this new body, he tried to look at his chest area and was only really met with a knotted mat of hair. This had to be part of the hair coming from his head. To say the least, the hair looked like a matted rats nest that had been stirred up in a battle with pine needles and dirt in it.

He moved his hands to try and fix the problem. He was able to pull the needles out and the leaf material but the matted hair was still that, matted. He had seen those with long hair run their fingers through it in order to upkeep their hair. Big mistake. The moment he put his fingers into his hair and pulled down he was met with his head being pulled down and a pinpointed pain right into his scalp. He cursed under his breath, literally everything else with long hair made this look easy. He tried again and hissed. A new plan, a new plan was needed. He grabbed onto the top of the chunk of the lock he was working on and pulled. The hair split till it his the matte section and then he just heard a ripping sound. This couldn’t be right, he had never heard this noise before and it was a noise that did not sound good. Okay, new plan, new plan, start from the bottom of the section and try fixing it from there. He was able to get his fingers into the knots and was able to undo. Till he finally pulled on some strands that were just not ready to be undone. 

“Naal fin Rah!” He shouted with pain. He gritted his teeth and kept pulling at the knots. Through his pain, he did not hear the sound of shoes tapping over to his door until he heard a small gasp. He opened his eyes and looked at the blonde short haired girl by the name of Lynly. She was looking dead at him and was looking right back at her. The only difference was his attitude versus her blushing a deep cherry red. “You! Joor kiir! Come here!” She made a squeak from his demand and left the room. He could not believe this, this woman just ran off. Wait, no now that he is thinking about it maybe she had a reason for it. He quickly heard stomping into his room and was met with the man behind the counter who had some sort of rageful expression. 

“What in the name of the Divines do you think you are doing?!” He stomped into the room while Alduin sat there shocked. 

“I am trying to get my haal through did om! My hair!” The man towering over him was looking him in the eye till his eyes darted down for a split second. His expression went from angry to enraged. The man looked around the room and saw the bedroll he was wearing the night before, he quickly swayed over and grabbed the bedroll and threw it right into Alduin’s face. He grunted out load and nearly was sent back flying in his chair. He moved his hands out of his hair and pulled the bedroll off his face and down to his lap. The moment he came out of the bedroll he was faced with the counterman once more who was giving him the stink eye. He glared up at the man and moved his head trying to to get his hair out from underneath the bedroll. 

“Give me a reason why I should not just throw you out?” Alduin was flabbergasted. He was not ready for this turn of events. He had to calm down and think of something. Something quick. “Well?” Alduin sat there, his face was no longer glaring he just looked lost. The man stared at him till finally the man sighed. “You are lucky I am a decent man. Here.” The man went into his apron pocket and threw something into Alduin’s lap. By the time he picked it up and looked at where the man was, he was gone. Though Alduin could hear from the outside the man spoke up again. “Wait in there, I am getting you some actual clothes.”

Alduin sat there and looked down at the long thing that now rested in his lap. Alduin picked it up and saw its teeth. He had seen this before, he could have sworn he had saw some of the people use this. Yes! He moved from the top of his scalp and combed down. Again, a huge mistake. The moment hit the rat nest of hair the comb stopped and he grunted out in pain once more. He tried to move the thing out and back in, only to be met with after a few more goes till the comb got stuck. This was absolutely stupid. This was absolute, horrible, and annoyingly stupid. He huffed and just leaned back his chair, he grunted out loud till the man from before walked back in. He looked over at the man and saw that he was carrying a bundle of clothes in hand, or so he hoped. The man walked over to Alduin’s bed and turned to him. He had a look of somewhat a concern, and absolute shock.

“Are you kidding me?” Alduin looked at him with a look of defeat. This was embarrassing. He used to be the Alpha, he used to be the king of the skies! And yet, he has been bested by a comb. 

The man leaned forward and worked the comb out of his hair. “Have you ever combed your hair?” Alduin stayed still. He nodded his head, a dead lie but he had to be somewhat normal.

“It has never been this maar… Terrible…” The man seemed for a split second catch him in his lie but it must have just been in his mind the language gap. 

“Wait here, you can probably tell I do not have much hair so brushing hair really is not my specialty.” The man stood up and handed Alduin the comb. He walked around the corner and called out to the lady. “Lynly, come here. I need your help.”

Lynly walked into the room, her face was still bright red, somewhat shocked still. She walked in over to where Wilhelm was standing and looked at him. 

“Can you comb through his hair, I’ll be right here, just going to lay out this idiots clothes.” She really did not want to do it from what Alduin could tell from this woman's face. She walked over and gently took the comb from his hands. The moment their hands touched he noticed right away that her hands were rougher than his. The moment she took the comb he rubbed his hands together and found how quickly that his hands were so soft. His hands had some pricks and bumps from the needles and skids from his falls yesterday and the day before, but still, his hands where far softer than hers. 

He watched as she grabbed a chunk of hair and lifted the comb. He was ready to wince until he saw her start to comb from the bottom. She moved in quick strokes and started to get through his hair. He was shocked, and yet overjoyed to see the knots come undone. She got through the first chunk in only a fraction of time that it would have taken him. She moved through chunk to chunk and worked her way through all his hair. As she combed he watched his hair get longer, it was straight and as black as the night's sky. When she moved to his other side he ran his own fingers through is hair. His hair was slightly greasy but it was silky to the touch. He watched as she finished up with the other side before she spoke up.

“Here, I can braid it so it doesn’t get like that again.” Alduin looked at her and nodded. He had seen braids, and now they suddenly it made a lot more sense as to why the mortals did these braids. Her hands went through his hair and did a quiet braid. She kept her hands away from his scalp and moved quickly with the braid to get it done. She grabbed a strip of leather and tied the end together and backed away. She looked over at Wilhelm and told him that she would be in the main area, there were a few customers and they needed some music. He nodded and told her that if they wanted anything they could pay her till he came out. 

Wilhelm looked over at Alduin and then back at the clothes. “Do I have to dress you as well?” Alduin had to think this through. Do mortals dress one another? He seems sarcastic which means he should probably say no. So that is what he did, he shook his head. Wilhelm nodded but gave him a questioning look. “Alright, I will be outside. Consider those clothes the pay back from the guard who helped you.”

Alduin did not even really think about paying back the guard anyway but I guess it was a cultural, no species thing. He waited till Wilhelm left the room and slowly stood up. The bedroll fell off of his lap and he stood there. He felt somewhat dizzy and had to catch himself upon standing up, but he was able to make it to his bed where the clothes where. They looked simple enough, but so far anything simple to the mortals was a whole new adventure for him. There where indeed a few options laid out for him, but from how the other have been dressed so far he needed to get into everything laid out for him. First thing first, he knew what was underwear and he could point it out in a heartbeat, so that was his go to. One leg after another, and a whole body falling on the bed and he got his underwear on. It was okay, he kind of felt more comfortable in the nude, but this was not really an option. Okay next, next… He found a pair of weird things. As he looked at them and then at his body there had to be only one place for them, his feet. Thankfully he had already fallen on the bed so getting these socks onto his feet wasn’t too bad. One sock on, then the other sock went on. What was left was pants, a shirt, something that went over a shirt and some belts and a satchel. Okay, this wasn’t too bad at all. The pants slid up with ease, but the strands around the crotch stared at him. He would deal with them later, hopefully. Next came the shirt and shirt topper of sorts, both went on with ease but also had straps that needed to be tied off. Then it hit him!

He moved his hand to grab his hair that had been tied off with the leather strip. He studied the knot, it did not look too hard, now he had to do it for his clothes. He let his hair fall back into place. He went to tie off both his pants and top. Now the belt, the belt, and satchel were easy enough. Then came his shoes, they slid on easy, they were somewhat small but they would do. Most of the clothes were somewhat small but they were better than just the bedroll. 

Alduin stood up and looked at his clothes, nothing bad. Though the bedroll was nice, and the shawl pin he found was nice as well. He remembered hearing those two men last night walk in talking about winter coming, so keeping that bedroll as a cape of sorts might actually be a life saver. He went and picked it up and put on his bedroll cape and made his way out of the room. He looked around at the end and saw the man Wilhelm behind the counter, and the woman Lynly over in the corner playing her instrument. He walked out and looked around till deciding it was best to go to the man at the counter.

The moment Wilhelm looked up he was met with Alduin. Alduin stood frighteningly over him. 

Alduin coughed softly to get more attention for what he wanted to ask. “Where would I get work? Yuvon? Gold that is?” Alduin stood there quietly. Wilhelm looked Alduin up and down and nodded to himself. 

“Head up the road to the two houses up ahead. Temba Wide-Arms Mill is always looking for someone to work and chop wood. With how things are going with their daughter as well, the Fellstar Farm will be willing to take any form of work at this rate.” From what those two sounded like, they sounded like heavy work. Alduin really was not in the mood for something like that. Though if he wanted a choice to be able to spend the night again in the Inn when he was going to need some gold. If worse comes to worst he needed enough gold for the food and drink, then just suffer through nights in the Barrow. 

“You said up the road?” Wilhelm nodded. Alduin had to nod, and with that, he made his way out of the Inn.

The moment Alduin walked outside he felt a cool winter wind making its way through the town. He looked over the railing of the Inn and looked over the small town. In front of him was a building, and two men walked out. He had seen these two men before. They were the men that had sat with the girls the night before. They were talking about something that really did not stick in Alduin’s mind, but he did notice that they indeed were carrying tons of equipment and were making their way towards the river. 

Alduin watched them go on their way and then looked to his left and saw the two buildings that the man Wilhelm had told him about. Alright, time to get a job or something, just anything to make some scraps of gold.

Alduin went around the railing and made his way down the stairs. The moment he got daw and started to make his way to either the mill and the farm. As he walked he noticed the few people that were here, were indeed looking at him especially the guards. As he made he was up to the mill and farm he would look over his shoulder to make sure no one was up to something. 

He made it to the mill and the farm. He rather quickly recognized the farm, it was the farm he had to hide from when he first got here, and from who he could see working in the feels was the girl that was at the Inn, Fastred. Maybe the mill would be a better choice, a lot less awkward.

He looked over at the mill and noticed a lown woman working there. She was definitely a Nord, she had some ginger hair with eyebrows to match. He made his way over to the mill and went up its steps to meet her. The moment she turned around she rolled her eyes and sighed quietly loudly. Though this didn’t stop Alduin, he continued to make his way to her.

“What do you want?” She was not in the mood to hear anything, though he had to do this. 

“Ah yes. Do you have to work here? At the Mill?”The woman looked him up and down, at the weird accent this man hand, and then she put it back together.

“I am guessing you are the man that blew into town after being mugged?” Alduin nodded. He had to admit it wasn’t the worst reputation to have after what has happened. He watched as she kept looking up him and down. “You look strong enough, but I can not pay you much. The mill is doing terrible thanks to the wildlife out here.”

“Pogaas yuvon? How much?” She looked at him with one of, are you kidding me? She rolled her eyes again, went over to the saw and kicked it off. 

“Ten gold for the day if you saw the logs, I’ll throw in ten more if you start chopping that firewood down there.” She pointed down at the pile below the mill near the road. He looked over the mills railing and rather quickly accepted her deal. “Alright, I’m going to go set those damn traps and try to take care of those blasted bears. Hey, I’ll pay you more if you want to take care of those blasted bears?” Alduin quickly shook his head, he needed some sort of regular pay and keep alive. He was in no means able to fight a bear in this soggy human body. She gave him an angry glare but signed it off. “Fine. I’ll pay you at when the sun starts to set.” She huffed and made her way out of the mill and made her way out to the woods to start taking care of her bear trouble. 

Alduin looked at the saw and the logs below. Alright, lifting a log couldn’t be that bad right? Nope, like many things now it was not easy. He went to lift the log and pulled his back and was met with a sharp pain in his back. Nope, nope, gotta find a different way to lift these heavy bastards and fast. He made his way over to the middle of the log pile and rolled one of the trunks and this time lifted with his legs, much better. He dragged the log over and threw it into the saw runner. This was going to take forever if he had to keep doing this. He looked around and found a chain and a hook hanging next to it. He grabbed it made his way back to the logs in the hope that this would work better, and it did.  
Hours passed. Alduin was sending log after log down the rail till he noticed he was going to need to chop the firewood that he was technically hired to do. Over the hours he was there he met a High Elf named Gwilin. He was nice, from what Alduin could tell. The man was tall and slim, he would talk more than Alduin liked but he kept his mouth shut. Gwilin seemed more than happy in the life he was in now and Alduin had to admire his love for… not much? Not much to Alduin, especially from what he was used to, but to each their own he guessed. 

He worked till the cold wind of the evening hit him and Gwilin. Gwilin nodded and told Alduin that he did a good job for his first time and told him he was calling it a day. Alduin agreed and made his way over to the woman named Temba. She nodded and told him he did a good job, paid him and sent him on his way. He held the few golds in his hand and made his way back to the inn. He had more than enough for the night and maybe a bit of food before he fell asleep. He was going to need to make some money before he could get moving and start on this annoying quest he was set on. 

The moment Alduin walked into the inn the small group from last night was there eating once more. He made his way over to Wilhelm and asked him for the same room and some food. He nodded and Alduin quickly made his way over to a table alone to eat before he went to bed. 

He sat down and quickly started eating, he is beyond hungry after the work he had done for the day. He listened to small conversations. He heard Wilhelm make his way over the full table and started to talk to the girl Lynly. He listened in and the man Wilhelm asked her to play her music, she seemed somewhat upset and mentioned that no one really cared about her music and that no one really was new here either. He insisted and honestly looked like he really cared for her, and her music. She nodded and made her way over to her corner and started to play. 

The conversations became harder and harder to hear when she was playing, the music was nice and he enjoyed it but he also enjoyed hearing what others were saying. So he was not expecting the young girl from the group table sitting next to him. She had snuck away from the two men that she was sitting with while they were talking, and the other girl was too busy playing her music to notice. 

Alduin looked at her up and down and was somewhat shocked to find her this close to him. She did the same but smiled at him, she was also twirling her hair. He, in all honesty, had no idea how to approach this situation. 

“I heard that your name is Aldin?” She leaned on her elbow and looked him right in the eye. All Alduin could do was lock eyes with her and nod, talking was obviously not his strong suit and having a mouth full of food also wasn’t helping. “I have never heard the name Aldin, it is quite different.”

He nodded again. She looked around and then back at him. 

“You seem to be getting along quite well here.” Alduin nodded again. She giggled under her breath. “You really are a quiet one. I was hoping to hear you talk.” Now Alduin was confused. Why in the world was she talking to him? Why was she asking these questions? Why did she want him to talk? He needed to think this through fully, he wanted to make this quick. 

“Sorry… I… Normally don’t…” Alduin thought that sentence through the best he could to avoid translating at the moment. She just barely learned in when he spoke, almost to drink in his voice. He was indeed uncomfortable with this. He just sat there, breathed in deep and took a bite of something else. 

The music calmed down and the next thing he heard, was a very upset voice from behind him. Alduin turned around to find a tall man he had yet to hear what his name was. The man glared at Alduin.

“Fastred. Love. Let us be going, your father is probably wondering when you will come home.” The woman Fastred look frustrated. She huffed and stood up and left with the man. The whole time they were leaving the man glared daggers at Alduin. The two had left the inn with the man slamming the door. The other man he was talking to and the lady Lynly where still in the inn, standing awkwardly. Alduin decided that this might be the best time to head to bed and try to avoid anything else that might happen. 

As he stood and made his way to his room he was quickly stopped by the tall man Wilhelm. 

“You will have to forgive Fastred. Her heart moves faster than a dragon in flight. She not long ago declared her love for Klimmek over there. Then she moved on to Bassianus.” Alduin started to put two and two together. The man that slammed the door must have been Bassianus. “She most likely sees you as exotic, just try to stay out of any trouble. Bassianus really does care for her, he just is not so forthright with his love.” Alduin slowly nodded. This was really the last thing he really wanted to deal with right now. He was full and he as tired, he was ready for bed, not some woman's daydream romances. 

Wilhelm let him go and allowed Alduin to get to his room, he must have understood that Alduin understood what he meant and that he would try his best. 

Alduin made it to his room and started to get undress. The clothes were comfortable, but the inn was far too hot for him to be sleeping in. He yawned and pulled his bedroll cape onto the bed and crawled underneath when he was ready. He stretched and curled up in the bed. He closed his eyes and fell asleep in the warm inn. Tomorrow he planned on going to chop more wood, maybe try to talk to the elf Gwillin and get this room again.


	6. Chapter 06

Sense Alduin’s, or more correctly named Aldin’s arrival to the small town of Ivarstead everything has been somewhat normal. Alduin was not insanely happy with his current living conditions but it was better than dying off in the woods. Every day for him though was boring, wake up, chop and saw wood, go back to the inn, barely talk to the woman Fastred, eat, sleep. Not to mention get glared at by the man Bassianus.

At the current moment, Alduin was standing outside chopping wood with the High Elf Gwilin. Today was absolutely a nightmare. It has been raining from the moment the sun started to rise and it only got colder and colder till finally, the cold rain turned into snow. It got so bad for a bit that Gwilin invited Alduin to head back to the inn till the weather started to calm down. Alduin had voiced his complaints, he really needed the gold. Alduin has been for the past couple of says paying day by day to stay at the inn, the money he did have left over had gone into some fur boots, gloves, and a nice coat to keep him warm with his bedroll cape. Gwilin was nice, always and told Alduin right away that if the weather made their pay short he would help Alduin out with it. 

With the new promise of a full pay just out of the kindness of the man's heart, Alduin agreed with Gwilin and they made their way into the inn to warm up. Once in the inn, it was the first time that Alduin had someone to sit with from the beginning and not just a woman who seemed to inquisitive of him for her own good. 

The two men choose to sit in the chairs near the fire and rubbed their hands near the fire and got comfortable for the time being. It was quiet, the bard Lynly was cleaning around the inn, Wilhelm was cleaning dishes behind the counter and counting gold. It stayed quiet as well, Gwilin from what Alduin could tell was indeed a quiet man. When Gwilin did talk he was very content with life, he absolutely loved this life. The life of a gentle village man who did the same thing every day and was stable, something that at this moment Alduin could never love. Alduin missed being able to go from capital to capital, country to country all on a whim with his wings. He missed being able to go where he pleased when he wanted and never had to worry about gold for where he would need to sleep each and every single night, let alone struggle to get gold just to get clothing so he would not freeze while doing the work to get the gold. Though he really did not want to damper Gwilin, he was just too nice to do that too, even for Alduin’s standard and blunt personality. 

The warmth of the inn was briefly interrupted when the door opened with two men coming in covered in snow. In came both Bassianus and Klimmek shaking off the snow from their hair and beards, their fishing baskets had a good chunk of snow on their lids and they quickly brushed it off in the doorway before coming in. Alduin sat there and warmed his hands with Gwilin but he kept this eyes on Bassianus. It did not take long for Bassianus to spot Alduin and amplify his glare right at the black haired man that was in his eyes, moving in on his lover. Klimmek though was standing there with head in the clouds and enjoying the warmth of the inn. The two men made their way over to the fire, Bassianus was the first to sit down while Klimmek got his own drink and one for his friend. Bassianus made sure to sit away from Alduin but also made sure that Alduin would have to look right in his face. 

To say the least the group of four men, well mainly two made the inn have an uncomfortable aura. Gwilin and Klemmik really did not seem to notice and actually started their own conversation asking how things have been. Though for Alduin he was met with a glare from Bassianus. He sat in his chair quietly trying to just stare at the fire in front of him, he just really wished the weather would just end already so he could just leave. Though for Bassianus this was his time, time to confront this new man that his Fastred was starting to fawn over. 

Alduin sat there for a moment until finally, he had enough, this glaring was getting annoying, to say the least. Every time Fastred sat with him he barely, if anything talked to her, and this man Bassianus was acting as if the two of them were planning on eloping in the night. He raised his head and leaned back in his chair, he crossed his arms and glared right back at Bassianus. 

This was definitely was not what Bassianus was expecting, this new attitude made him worry. Was this man Aldin going to fight back and try to go for his Fastred? He couldn’t let this happen, he wouldn’t let this happen. He had to think this through fully, he wasn’t that big of a man but this black haired man was still larger than him. But Bassianus knew he could easily win this argument through words, Aldin before him was barely fluent in the most common language so as long as it was only through verbal communication.

Alduin with his arms crossed glared down at Bassianus. Either he would talk first, or Alduin would.

“So… What makes you so special?” Alduin raised an eyebrow at what Bassianus had to say. “What makes you so special that Fastred now only looks at you?”

“What are you speaking about?” Alduin glared harder at him, he had no idea as to why this was happening. Though it was obvious the tell that the more confused he was the angrier Bassianus was getting. 

“What I’m talking about? What I’m talking about?!” Bassianus slid forward onto the edge of his chair. “The moment you blew into this small rinky town you have been pulling Fastred towards you!”

At this moment the bar went silent. Gwillen and Klimmek no longer were having their small talk, but now they were looking dead at Aldin and Bassianus. Even Lynly and Wilhelm stopped doing their work and were now staring at the commotion. Wilhelm himself was already grabbing a weapon if need by and was eyeing Lynly to get ready to get the guards if it went too far. Bassianus leaned forward and continued. 

“You are trying to sweep my sweet, sweet Fastred away from me! First I deal with her father who would rather want me dead and gone than see her with me! Her mother wants her to waste away on that farm! And now, you, some random man who can barely even speak properly is trying to swoop in and steal her from me!”

“You are mad… enough Do Daar… enough of this foolishness!” Alduin had had enough of this and stood up from his stool. He was just starting to get warm but this man was not helping anything. The day was already cold, and he wasn’t able to work the whole day so he didn’t know what was going to happen to his pay. And now this man was getting angry with him over something he hasn’t done. He whipped around from the stool to head to his room and just call it till everything would calm down. 

Before he could make it far from the small fire though he felt a hard fist right into his jaw. Alduin stumbled back and fell over the stool that he was sitting. He cursed under his breath and looked right up at Bassianus who was shocked that he threw the punch. Alduin gritted his teeth and stood up with a fire in his eyes. Bassianus back up for a split second till Alduin’s fist came crashing down into his face as well. 

The two of them quickly broke out if a whole fist fight. Bassianus was fighting for his lad, for his pride, for his love for Fastred. He will have her and let her know how much he would do for her!

Wilhelm quickly moved into the fight to try and tear the two apart. Gwilin and Klemmik both moved in to help, but the adrenaline was high. Both Gwilin and Klemmik moved to help but were met with pushes and shoves away so that the two could continue to fight. It didn’t take long for Lynly to get the memo and quickly made her way out of the Inn and ran to find a guard. 

Alduin threw a hard punch landing it right onto Bassianus, this was nothing like how he used to fight. Though for every punch he landed Bassianus landed three more. This was nothing like he used to fight, and it wasn’t going to well, to say the least. Bassianus threw one more fist and landed it on Alduin leaving him flying back and landing against the bar ridge. Alduin’s whole body ached already and the adrenaline was starting to drain. This was personal now, he was not about to lose another fight to some small, pathetic human as he did before. This man wasn’t the Dragonborn by any means, so losing to him would already be even more embarrassing in his eyes than falling to her. With what little energy he had left, he pushed himself up off the bar counter and breathed in and shouted.

“Yol Toor Shul!” And with that, the flames spouted. Like a whip and a thunderous boom, the flames racked the room. Bassianus was given the brunt of the fiery shout. He quickly fell back and started to pat out of the fire. Klimmek quickly came over to help extinguish his friend. Though while the flames dissipated a gust of wind flushed into the inn. Before that cold gust could even touch Alduin, an arrow came flying in and pierced the side of his shirt and lodged him into the bar counter once more. 

A quick squeal came from the door as well. Alduin looked up and first saw Fastred dart into the building running to Bassianus side. After her came in the guards, and finally after them the last thing he was wanting to meet. 

There standing in the doorway with an arrow drawn stood the Dovahkiin.


	7. Chapter 07

The wind was howling against the large stone buildings. Snow gusts where being slapped left and right along the hard stone streets. Anything that was starting to grow between the old cracks was now definitely frozen over. Anyone that was on the streets more likely than not was huddled away from the wind or were taken in by generous landowners. Though people who were inside, where more likely than not working to keep their homes warm and comfortable through the heavy storm. The walls were cold throughout all the houses and buildings, while the market place itself was now completely frozen over. Though to no surprise, this is no surprise for the large city of Windhelm. 

These frozen days were very common in this northern city, and when the city is made out of the old stone, so there is little insulation. Though one building was even more frigid than a normal home. The Palace of Kings stood over the whole city with its monolithic stone frame. On the inside of the palace though it was a frigid working place. The guards in the hall were rubbing their hands every once in a while and would breathe in their hands to warm them up. The front hall was only filled with guards and a lone Jorleif. One room over was Galmar Stone-Fist who was warming his hands by the fire sitting in a chair comfortably. Though as the old saying goes, that cold air sinks and hot air rises. A far warmer room was hidden away at the top of the palace. 

The room was warm, warmer than most of the rooms in the palace. The fire was freshly sturred and the embers were lighting the room in a warm glow. Over the fire hung the banners with the golden bear icon that flew overhead during the civil war. Extra blankets had been thrown over the bed in the center of the room. The stands holding candles flickered and lit the room ever so softly with the fire. The fire alone though did not only keep the bed warm. 

Ulfric was laying in his bed, finally having some semblance of peace and quiet. The civil war was over, for now, and with that, all that was left for him to work on was constant paperwork and meetings. He was resting on his back with his eyes closed. He had so much busy work to do, though it was for the better in his eyes. Galmar was always antsy while looking for the remains of the Empire in Skyrim, but it was even worse now due to how little was left behind in Skyrim now. He had received a letter from Elisif, more issues that he needed to take care of. The Imperial trading was getting strained more so every day now. Those who kept in good favors with the Imperium were still getting some sorts of shipments but after the civil war, things have been becoming more and more strained. Even when all the immediate problems were solved there always seemed to be more to deal with. Over the horizon, the fear of the Aldmeri Dominion was rising. Word of the civil war ending and the Imperials being pushed out of Skyrim has made its way to the high elves ears. Ulfric had been informed that those of the Aldmeri Dominion in Skyrim were quickly leaving, which he thought was a good thing though it might have a more sinister twist now. 

Ulfric was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear someone slipping into his bed. A small petite hand, rough from battle slid across his chest making his eyes slowly open. Above him, he was met with his Stormblade. He called her his Stormblade, but her name is was Constance. She was the absolute last person he would have let in his bed long ago, was now indeed more than welcome in it. She was a small Breton, smaller than any Nord woman that he knew. The first time they met was in the cart being shipped off to execution, he feet barely touched the floor of the cart, just the tip of her wrapped toes skimmed against the ground. 

Then to find her in his hall weeks later alive and well was something he wasn’t expecting. She was interested in what the Stormcloaks were about, though she had a few different ideas that some may not have agreed with. They had their differences but while she was there with him and Galmar throughout the war. Let alone the long nights where they would talk. He enjoyed her stubborn nature, in a world now where people would agree with everything that he says for his power, though she and Galmar would challenge him. He enjoyed them, both of them. Though one winter night on the travel to Solitude, and blizzard blew through and hit the army. Galmar worked on getting the men together to stay safe from the freeze. Ulfric himself and she helped till the cold leaked into their bones leading them to have to quickly hide in the Jarls tent. 

Ulfric wasn’t expecting by any means to have her sleep in the same tent, let alone the same bedroll as him. He remembered just exactly how small she was, and how warm she was. Not only that but the next day how he distanced himself from her out of the emotions he felt after that night sleeping next to her. Slowly though she chipped away at him and got to know why he was doing so. 

He was met with a small sigh, snapping him back to reality. She had slid on top of him and was gently rubbing his chest again. He slid one arm to the small of her back and rubbed softly. It wasn’t often for Ulfric to spend extra time with her, Constance was always on the move. She always had some sort of new request on her plate, or bounty to catch. With all of Skyrim vying for her attention it was rare enough as it is for Ulfric to be around her. Though when he finally got to spend more than a day with her, he took it willingly and never denied her. 

At the moment this was the second day they were able to spend together, well more like evening to morning. Constance was a woman of little touching, she was as free-flowing as the wind and often times would come and go as she pleased like it. To tell the truth, Ulfric enjoyed it, to a point. With all the work that he had to do having a lover that comes and goes was easier. Though he did desire, someone, to always be with him every night. Ulfric just could not fall for any other women in his legal rank, he enjoyed her warrior ways. Even though Constance wasn’t always there she would have a burst of affectionate moments, this was one of them. 

She was laying on his chest, he hands on either side massaging him. Though her head was staring out one of the many windows like structure in his room. This wasn’t the first time she had done this in their private moments. 

“Something you see Stormblade?” She just huffed. He turned his head the best he could to look out where she was looking, his fingers ever so gently grazing her back. The world outside of the room looked frigid and cold, more so than normal. He looked out the window until he felt a weight on his chest. Ulfric looked up and felt a gust of cool arm from the room hit his chest. Constance was now sitting on his lap, his body was wrapped in one of his large shirts. Ulfric moved his hands from he back to her thighs that now rested on his side. 

“You are getting quite touchy Ulfric.” It was his turn to huff at her. All she did was give him an extremely small smirk down at him. Ulfric couldn’t help himself, he was finally given some alone time with his Stormblade, and now having her seated on his lap it was slowly starting to clog his mind. The feeling of the frigid room now rushing over his skin with the lack of a blanket and her body on his chest, mixed with the heat that was being kept around his waist was everything that he craved right now. His hands twitched and he squeezed her thighs. She simply raised her eyebrows at him and looked at him.

He smirked and raised himself up to her level. The two of them had already spent a night keeping the room warm from one corner to another, but it was now morning and the room had already grown cold again. His hands slipped up to the small of her back and pulled her into him. She let out a soft breath and Ulfric felt the smallest amount of heat to build in him. He was careful with his affection. He ran his lips along the side of her neck and very gently nipped at her collar bone. He had started to become skilled in giving her affection that she would actually take. Constance had certain limits with anyone: no kissing, no biting back of the neck, and no biting the sides. He wanted more but he never tried to pass those boundaries she strictly laid out the moment they first spent a night together, so it had left him to have to show affection in other more creative ways. 

The more he began to run his hands along her sides, he felt the shivers along her skin from the ghostly touches that he knew she adored along with the cold morning air. He grunted into her neck the moment her hips started to move against his, igniting the small flame that was already growing in his stomach. He pulled her harder against him, his left hand slid down quickly to hold her hips against him. Moving from her neck to her collar bones he nipped and sucked softly. The moment he bit down ever so softly her hips jerked against him in just the right way. He could feel the heat and moisture from her grind against his desiring member.

He felt it deep inside of him and with that, he forced himself up. She went flying back onto the bed looking up at him. Ulfric crawled over her and gazed down upon her face that was framed with her blonde hair. He didn’t stay up long to enjoy her though, he quickly lowered his lips to the valley between her breasts and moved down. Each kiss his beard scraped against her skin forcing up goosebumps that were hidden deep in her skin. He slid down her body like a drop of rain and made sure to leave a small mark each inch that he could. Ulfric wanted to make these moments last forever, longer than the war ever was, longer than his long life ever will be as well. 

Her back arched, the lower section of her stomach was against him as he moved even lower. He finally got to the goal he wanted and lowered himself down. His tongue ran along her folds slowly for the first run, all he could hear was a gasp of air from her. He leaned into his motions and made sure to hit every part of her and always made sure to give her clit special attention. 

The two of them were lost in the lust and the room began to quickly feel sweltering hot from their actions. Constance's fingers quickly wove themselves into Ulfric's hair. Her back arched every time she would swipe his tongue against her. She was a soft moaning mess under him. Though nothing lasted in their world, for a large knocking hit against Ulfric's bedroom door. 

They both stopped and looked directly at the door. They both knew the drill, stay quiet for a moment if it was important whoever it was would make an effort to get Ulfric’s attention. It was silent, then a soft whisper, then finally another knock at the door. Ulfric signed heavily, and very obviously annoyed now. 

“Who is there?” He spoke. While he addressed the mysterious door person he sat up and quickly started to make his way over to a heavy robe to appear more decent for whomever it was. He looked behind him to see Constance herself sitting up sliding on the underclothing that she wore under her armor. Both of them knew very well that whoever it was they were either there for Ulfric or for Constance, there was no in between. Ulfric prayed it was for him if it was she could stay a little longer and they could maybe finish what they were about to start. He made it to the door and checked again to make sure she was decent enough to present for whoever was now at the door. 

“It is Jorleif, Ulfric.” He nodded to himself and then opened the door to find his steward. Though behind him was a younger man who was bundled up, and obviously had some fresh snow still melting on him. “The page has made his way all the way from Ivarstead. He informed me that he made his way to the Dovahkiin’s house and did not receive an answer. I was wondering if you knew where she would be?” Ulfric signed and rubbed his face with his hand. Of course, the page was looking for her, now she was destined once again to leave for an indefinite amount of time. He pushed open the door and allowed Jorleif and the page in. They both walked in and were met in a chair near the fireplace the Dovahkiin herself in a plain underdress. She was starting to all ready to put her hair up into a tight braid and brushing any of the parts out as she went. She stood up and made her way over to the page and the other men and finished up her braid. Pulling the leather strap from her mouth she tied off the braid. 

It was obvious to Ulfric that Jorleif and the page were starting to put two and two together and realizing that they may have intervened with something. Jorleif especially seemed to understand, he was the Steward for the Hall and he knew that there was something happening between his Jarl and the Dragonborn. The page though was young and naive, probably known to the letter delivering business and so on. Ulfric could feel the smallest of smiles on the inside form under his stone expression and the page seemed to back down a little once Constance herself now face to face with him. All of them waited to hear what he had to deliver. 

“A… A letter from the Vilemyr Inn in Ivarstead, Wilhelm to be specific… He wanted me to inform you that it is of great importance, he sent word to the Jarl as well.” He quickly pulled the letter from his damp bag and quickly made sure the letter was still dry to give to her. She gently took it from his hands and made her way back over to the chair and table near the fire. With the small dagger on the table, she began to tear open the letter.

“You are free to go, I can take it from here,” Constance spoke up once she got the letter open. The page nodded and quickly turned though he wasn’t far out the door till she stopped him. “Though I would recommend you stop by the inn for the day and night until the weather passes.” The page turned and looked at her and nodded. The moment the page was out the door Ulfric went to close it leaving him and Jorleif with the Dragonborn. Jorleif though quickly pulled Ulfric to the side and spoke softly to him. 

“Ulfric, I did not know, I did not want to show any disrespect.” Ulfric shook his head.

“It is all fine Jorleif. There is nothing to apologize for, you did not know, the page especially did not know.” Jorleif couldn’t help but lead out a small chuckle.

“I am not surprised though you old hound. She is definitely a catch.” Ulfric gave him a look. “Come now Ulfric, you know I mean nothing like that. I am just surprised. It explains why you get so tense when the Dragonborn makes her way back into the city.”

“I have no idea what you mean.” Ulfric adjusted his robe subtly and rubbed his arms together to keep warm. 

“I understand the war is over, well over for the time being. Though you normally never made your way out of the Hall unless for battle, but you suddenly made your way over to that courter her house is in no matter the weather. Then she would wander her way in whenever she was in the town as well.” Ulfric made a soft sound and shrugged his shoulders softly. He couldn’t get away from Jorleif’s eyes and brain. He had a hunch and quickly put two and two together. Jorleif smiled and chuckled at his Jarl’s reaction. Ulfric was acting as stoic as always and couldn’t admit that he had been had by his Steward. Ulfric made his way back into his room and found that Constance, his Stormblade was already starting to pack up and was getting dressed in her armor. He looked behind himself and saw Jorleif quietly excuse himself. It was obvious that Jorleif not want to be part of any of the lover's details. 

“What did the letter say that is making you get ready to leave this quickly in this cold weather?” He made his way over and stood behind her. She was tugging the straps on her boots and let out a small huff. 

“Apparently…” She tugged at the strap harder and pulled it through its securing loop. “There is a strange man, a man of no defined race, speaking a language that sounds too much like the dovah’s tongue, and causing quite an uproar in Ivarstead. From what the letter said is that Wilhelm notified the Jarl but wished to let me know, he trusts the Jarl but fears this may turn into a larger problem then what everyone is thinking.”

“Definitely odd, and definitely ill-timed.” Ulfric let out a sigh and gently knelt down and helped his Stormblade put on her armor. “Do you really think it is wise to go out in this weather?” She shook her head and let out a disgruntled sighed. 

“I know what you are thinking and feeling. I really do not wish to go, though this is my job, and this does not seem like a normal cry for help. Besides, I’ve been in worse places then this blizzard.” She tapped on her second boot and stood up and made her way over to the bed. She had already laid out her breastplate and under armor. She started sliding it all on and securing it. 

“Do you think you will return here once the man is taken care of?” She shrugged, he knew that was the answer. Sometimes the smallest of tasks would turn into the largest adventure pulling her away from months at times. 

“ I would like to. I’ve spent only two weeks free from work and with you and the girls, though you know how things go.” He nodded. It was obvious that she enjoyed her time with her adopted daughters and him. Though what really got him was he knew that she and he were not exclusive. The times that Constance was up in Windhelm she was his alone. Though it wasn’t the only place where her heart was sought after. If Ulfric could he would rid all the evil in the world for Skyrim’s sake, and for her sake. “I will head to Ivarstead, see what is exactly going on and try to get this taken care of as quickly as possible. Though I need to stop by Riften to take care of some business, if I can get it taken care of early so I can come back quicker.” Ulfric nodded and walked his way over and helped her with the final straps she had trouble reaching on her armor. She thanked him and walked over to a small pile of her things. He watched as she threw the large satchel over her shoulder, loaded up her quiver and attached her bow. She pocketed her gold and smaller trinkets and slid a dagger into her boot. She patted her self down and did a mental checklist to make sure she had everything before making her way out. Ulfric knew this, it was her routine. She always did a pat down of herself and looked around the room or place she was in at least three times before calling it all good. She would sometimes clack on her looking adventure in places that she knew, but the Dragonborn always made sure to at least double check that she had everything that she needed. 

She pulled up a heavy hood over her head and pulled a mask over her face. The only bit of skin that was showing on her was her eyes and nothing else. She made her way over to him and gave him a quick, but tight hug. This was her equivalent to a goodbye kiss. Ulfric would kill to have a kiss with her, but he knew it was a boundary she had, one that many did not understand but followed. He cherished the hug though and took a deep breath in and walked her to his bedroom door. 

“You be careful out there Stormblade.” She turned and looked at him. He could tell she had a smirk on her face and one raised eyebrow.

“You know I always am. I will be back as quickly as I can.” She turned to leave. She made it about two steps before turning around. “I will write to you. I’ll let you know how long I think it will take, and what is going on.”

“Good, stay safe Stormblade.” She nodded and turned, this time for sure and made her way down the steps out of the upper living quarters of the hall. 

Ulfric closed the door and walked over to his wardrobe. It was now time to get dressed, his plan for the day now down the drain. It was time for him to get back to work.


End file.
